HUMANS OF DJEMBE – Part 52 – KATE SUSKO (Canberra)

” For me, the djembe addiction took hold in my early twenties. Coming from a classical piano background, djembe was everything piano wasn’t! I still dearly love sitting down and cracking out a Bach prelude but it doesn’t compare to the feeling of playing djembe and being part of a whole community of drummers who share a love for West African rhythms.

I’ve had wonderful teachers along the way – both locally and in Africa – and I’m privileged to work closely with Bangourake who has been so generous in sharing the music and culture of his people with the local drum and dance scene here in Canberra. Yes, behind the grey suits we actually have a thriving community of drum and dance students here!
I discovered early in my ‘djembe journey’ that teaching is what I enjoy the most and is where I can make the most difference. There’s nothing I like to see more than adults, who never had the chance to learn an instrument as a child or claim not to have a musical bone in their body, suddenly engaging regularly in music education and enjoying connecting with others through music. Joining a djembe class really can be life-changing for people. I can’t think of another instrument that has the same power!

Now I just have to hope my two young sons catch the bug and want to play dundun for Mummy! 😉“